die baupiloten: kindergarten taka-tuka-land

the main external structure - 'delving into lemonade'
image courtesy of jan bitter and baupiloten

when founding die baupiloten, susanne hofmann wanted to develop a program which
allowed fourth and fifth year architecture students to gain real life experience on
architectural projects, many of which involved the reconstruction of learning institutions
and children's spaces.

one such project is the kindergarten taka-tuka-land, located in berlin, germany.
the architecture draws from children's book 'pippi longstocking' by astrid lindgren,
and her 'taka-tuka-land'. the original temporary structure of the school has been turned into an
everlasting space that grows and flows. there are seven main points of contact that children
can interact with and play. for example, there are three large-scale windows which with the midday sun,
turns the interior room into a glittering environment due to crystals which have been mounted
on the windows.

yellow is the dominant color. the architectural highpoint is the fictional 'lemonade-island'
where the children can stand taller than grown-ups. oblique surfaces invite every child to play
and be encompassed by the streams of yellow. the building itself is to be interpreted as pippi's
old oak tree in which the hollow interior of 'lemonade' is produced. in the exterior, children can climb,
nap and hide and the façade is well-cushioned and offers protection from all weather conditions.
the luminous textiles shine colorfully both on the outside and inside. in this structure,
children can lose themselves in play and imagination within the vibrant world.


on the interior and exterior of the building there are points of interaction
image courtesy of jan bitter and baupiloten


the external structure flows into the interior
image courtesy of jan bitter and baupiloten


the exterior membrane provides areas for hiding, playing and sleeping
image courtesy of jan bitter and baupiloten


the lemonade continues inside with seating areas
image courtesy of jan bitter and baupiloten


crystals on the windows result in a glittering space
image courtesy of jan bitter and baupiloten